Lawn-mower.



PATENTED JULY 3, 1906.

M. .W TOWNSEND.

LAWN MOWER AP PLIGATION FILED JAN. 12, 1906.

- 2 sums-sum 1.

[NVE/N TOR- WITNESSES:

A TTORNEYS PATENTED -JULY 3, 1 9 06.

M. W. TOWNSEND.

LAWN MOWER.

APPLIUATION FILED JAN. 12, 1906.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

3am? W]5zriz=$e/zd, I j INVENTOR.

WITNESSES:

"UNITED sTArns PATENT OFFICE.-

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July 3, 1906.

Application filed January 12, 1906. Serial No. 295,799.

.To all whom, it may concern:

Be it known that I, MELVJLLE W. TOWN- SEND, a citizen of the United States, residing at Martinsville, in the county of Clinton and State of Ohio, have invented a new and useful LawnMowcr, of which the following is a specification.

T hisinvention relates to lawn1nowers; and it has for its object to rovide an improved construction whereby t e cutting apparatus may be raised and lowered and supported at various elevations for the purpose of trimming grass at various distances above the ground, thus enabling tall grass or weeds to be first trimmed by removing the tops and afterward recut at the proper closeness to the ground.

Further objects of the invention are to simplify and improve the construction and operation of this class of machines.

With these and other ends in view, which will readily appear as the nature 01 the invention is better understood, the same consists in the improved construction and novel arrangement and combination of parts, which will be hereinafter fully described, and particularly pointed out in the" claims.

' In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a'perspective view of a lawn-mower constructed in accordance with the principles of the invention. Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the machine, showing the cutting apparatus in a lowered position, parts of the gear-casings having been broken away for thepurpose of exhibiting the gearing. Fig. 3 is a longitudinal vertical sectional view of the machine, showing the cutting apparatus in a raised position. Fig. 4 is a vertical transverse sectional detail view taken through one side of the machine and on the plane indicated by the line 4 4 in Fig. 3. Fi .5 is a side elevation showing the two whee s of the machine adjusted at different elevations in position for operating, for instance, upon the edge of a lawn-elevated above a driveway. Fig. 6 is a detail view illustrating the means for transmitting motion to the knife-carrying reel. Figs. 7 and 8 are detail views of the gear-casings which cooperate to constitute" the frame of the machine.

Corresponding parts in the several figures are indicated throughout by similar characters of reference.

The frame of the improved lawn-mowerhas two side members'A A, each of which is made u princi ally of two ear-casin s, which will be di scribed as the inner gea rcasing 1 and the outer gear casing 2. The innergear-casings 1 have rearwardly-extending arms 3, which are connected by and serve to support the cutter-bar 4, the latter being pivotally connected with the arms3, as by means of machine-screws 5, having non-circular heads. Upon the. inner sides of the arms 3 are formed brackets 6, having setscrews 7 and 8, that bear upon the upper side of the cutter-bar, respectively in front and in rear of the axial line of the pivots, thus enabling the cutter-bar, which is equip ed with a blade 9, to be adjusted in the usua manner in order that the blade may be properly enaged'by the spiral knives orcutters carried hy the reel, to be presently described. The arms 3 also carry the vertically-adjustable slotted plates 10, which are provided at their lower ends with bearings for the roller 11.

Each of the gear-casmgs 1 contains a large spur-wheel 12 and a smaller spur wheel or pinion 13, meshing together, the largespurwheel 12 being sup orted for rotation upon a pintle 14, while t e. pinions 13in the two gear-casings 1 1 are mounted upon the shaft 15, carrying the reel 16, which is equippedin the usual manner with spirally-dls osed blades or cutters 17, the edges-0f whic are adapted to engage the edge of the blade 9."

supported by t e cutter-bar, to make a shearing cut. The pinions 13 are provided with cavities 18, in which are pivoted gravityawls 19, engaging ratchet-wheels 20, which atter are fixed u on the shaft 15, by means of keys, as .21, whi e the pinions are loose upon the shaft. It follows that rotary motion will be transmitted to the-reel-carrying shaftonly when the machine is'propelled in a forpinions resulting 'n the pawls 19 slipping idly over the ratchets 20. The gear-casings 1 1 at the sides of the machine are provided with sockets 22 for the reception of the ends of a spacing-rod 23, which isretained in said sockets, as by means of set-screws 24. The said gear-casingsl 1, together with the cutter-bar 4 and the spacing-rod 23, thus constitute a frame which is sufficiently stiff and rigid for the urposes ofthe device.-

ward direction, a reverse movement of the T e outer gear-casings 2 2 constitute housings for spur-wheels 25 and for pinions 26,

meshing together, the pinions 26 being rig;

idly connected with or formed integral wit IIO trated as being in the nature of bolts that ex-- tend through the gear-casings 1 and 2, which are thereby ivotally connected, said bolts being prefera l threaded into the gear-casings 1 and provided with lock-nuts 28, whereby the parts may be retained securely in proper, relation without danger of becoming,

too tight or too'loose. The gear-casings 2 are provided with tubular spindles 29, that afford bearings fpr the shafts 30, carrying the spIur-wheels 25, said shafts being extended t ough and beyond said tubular spindles, as will be clearly seen by .referencetoFig. 4 of the drawings. The hubs 31 of the can ingwheels 32 are journaled .upon the tu ular spindle 29, and said hubs are connected-with t e shafts 30, as by means of. keys 33 and nuts 34. Thus when the carrying-wheels are rotated by contact with the ground-the shafts 30 and the spur-wheels 25 will be rotated, transmitting motion throughthe pinions .26 and the spur-wheels 12 to the inions 13 upon the reel-carrying shaft 15, W 'ch ilatterlwill thus be rotated when the machine moves in a forward direction, while the pinions 13 rotate idly upon the reel-carrying shaft when the machine is moved in a rearward direction,

When the gear-casings 1 and 2 are connect- .ed by means of the pintles 14, upon which the gear-casings 2 are free'to-swing, the outer sides of the pinions 13 and the inner sides of the spur-wheels 25 will be partly exposed, inasmuch as the .said gear-casings do not completely lap over each other. To remedy this deficiency, separate covers,,as 35 and 36,.of sheet metal or other suitable material, are provided, said covers being connected, respectively, with the gear-casings 1 and 2, as by means of ordinary machine-screws. This is essential in order to permit he tgear-casings 2, with which the carrying-wheels are connected, toswin .pivotally upon the intles 14, the spur-W eels 25 moving or itally around the inions 26.

The handle bars or irons 37., which are connected in the usual manner'at their upper ends with the handle 38, are pivoted at their lower ends u on the inner extremities of the bolts or pint cs 14. The gear-casings 2 are provided with lugs 39, upon which are pivot ed' latch members 40, having each a plurality of notches 41, adapted to engage studs 42 u on the handle-irons. The latter. are provided with pivotedauxiliary latch members, as 43, adapted, when the cutting apparatus is to be sup orted in a raised .position,.as in Eig. 3 of t e drawingsytolenga e the bracero 23, thus supporting the weig t of the a aratus and .preventinganyliability of t e atter to drop, owing-to .the gear-casings 2 turning upon the pivots -14.

The operation and advantages of the-improved construction herein described will readily appear from the foregoing descripti on, when taken in connection with the drawings. When the machine is in o eration, the gear-casings are stationary, an much of the rattle and noise usually accompanying the mani ulation of this class of machines will there ore be avoided. The carrying-wheels are large and therefore, capable of developing considerable power, and a train of three gears being used at\each side of themachine the reel-carrying bar will-develop considerable s eed. The main frame of: the machine, inclildingthe gear-casings -.1 1, .the parts connecting said gear-casings,,-and the-parts supported thereb -may be bodilylifted-or elevated with re ation tothe carryingwheels, the latch. members .40vv having been reviously disconnected from the studs-42 an the gearcasings 2 2 turnin pivotallyuponthapintles 14 while the a justment is taking place After the adjustment has been-eifected-the parts may be-again connected and, sustained in the desired relative positions byrestoring the latch members 40 to engagement with the studs 42. When it is desired to operate,

for instance, upon the edge of a lawn which is elevated above a driveway, one of the carr ing-wheels may be lowered, as will be clear y seen in Fig. 5 of the drawings.

This improved lawn-mower .may be eon-' venientlg used in connectionwith. a receptacle for t ecut grass, which 1s especiallydesirable whenthegrassistopped, in order to prevent the cut grass frominterfering with the second operation. ofthelawn-mower.

Having thus described the invention, what is claime' isp 1. In a lawn-mower, a frame, members ivoted upon the frame and constituting ousings, said members having. tubular spindles s acedfrom-thei-r pivotaLpoints, .carry-,

ing-w eelsjournaledu on the tubulanspindles, shafts connecte .with the carr gwheels and' extendin through the tu ular spindles, and gear-w eels upon the shafts within the housings.

2. In a lawn-mower, aframe, awehcarrying shaft journaled inisaid frame, members pivoted upon saidframe andhavin tubular spindles spaced .from their pivotal points, carrying-wheels .j ournaled upon. said .tubular spindles, shafts extending throughlthe' latter and connected with the carrying-wheels, and means :for transmitting motion from said shaftsto the. reel carrying shaft.

3. In a lawn-mower, a frame,.-a:reel-carry ing shaft journaled in said frame, members pivoted upon said frame andhavin tubular spindles spaced from their zpivota points, carrying-wheels journaled upon said tubular spindles, shafts extending-through the latter and connected with the carryingewheels, spur-wheels upon said shafts, pimons journaled upon the pintles .in :the pivoted memspindles, a reel bers and meshing with said means for transmitt: pinions to the reel-carryin shaft.

4. In a lawn-mower, a ame, a reel-carrying shaft journaled in said frame, intles connected with the latter, spur-whee s journaled upon said pintles, pinions adjacent to and connected with said spur-wheels, members pivoted upon the pintles. and having tubular spindles, carrying-wheels'u on said spindles, shafts extending through tl ie latter and conmotion from said nected with the carrymg-wheels, s ur-wheels' upon said shafts meshing with t e pinions upon the pintles, and pinions mounted upon and having clutch connection with the reelcarrymg s wheels upon the pintles. v

5. In a lawn-mower, a frame including gear-casi s having rearwardly-extending arms, a ro spacing and connecting the gearcasings, and necting the arms; .pintles extending through the gear-casings, auxiliary gear-casings pivoted upon the pintles and having tubular spindles, carrying-wheels j ournaled upon the supported for rotation by the frame, and trains of gears within the gearcasi s for transmitting motion from the carrying-wheels to the reel-carrying shaft.

spur-wheels, and

'gear=casings pivoted aft and meshing With the spura cutter-bar spacing and con-- 6. In a lawn-mower, a frame includ' a pair of gear-casings and a spacing-rod, pintles extending through the gear-casin s, hane-irons connected with the inner on s of the pintles, auxiliary gear-casings pivotally connected with the outer ends of the plntles, carrying-wheels supported b the auxiliary gear-casings, and latch mem ers connecting the auxiliary gear-casings adjustably wit the handle-irons,

7 A frame including a pair of gear-casing;- and a spacing-rod, pintles extending throug said ear-casings, handle-irons. connected with t e inner ends of the pintles, auxiliary upon the outer-ends of the pintles, carrying-wheels i'ournaled u on the auxiliary gear-casin s, atch mem ers connecting. the latter a justably with the handle-irons, and latch members pivoted upon the latter and adapted to engage the spacing-rod of the frame.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own I have hereto aflixed my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

MELVIRLE W. TOWNSEND.

Witnesses: 1

OLIVER J. TOWNSEND, GEORGE E. CARROLL. 

